Characterization of a direct methanol fuel cell using Hilbert curve fractal current collectors

The current collector or bi-polar plate is a key component in direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). Current collector geometric designs have significant influence on cell performance. This paper presents a continuous type fractal geometry using the Hilbert curve applied to current collector design in a direct methanol fuel cell. The Hilbert curve fractal geometry current collector is named HFCC (Hilbert curve fractal current collector). This research designs the current collector using a first, second and third order open carved HFCC shape. The cell performances of the different current collector geometries were measured and compared. Two important factors, the free open ratio and total perimeter length of the open carved design are discussed. The results show that both the larger free open ratio and longer carved open perimeter length present higher performance.